The Honourable Pat Binns, Premier of Prince Edward Island and the Honourable Mike Currie, Minister of Development and Technology, officially announced the seven successful applicants under Round II of the Provincial Government’s Research & Development (R&D) Initiative at a celebration today in Charlottetown. Administered by PEI Business Development and Technology PEI, the Research and Development Initiative assists research and development in Prince Edward Island (PEI).
When the second Request for Proposal was issued in February 2006, 38 applications were submitted. The total value of the seven approved projects announced today is $11 million. Through the Research and Development Initiative and traditional funds from PEI Business Development and Technology PEI, an amount of $668,864 has been approved for these projects.
“If our economy is to continue to thrive and grow, we must have funds devoted to research and product development,” Premier Binns said. “Providing support to key sectors that engage in research and development is a commitment our government continues to view as a prosperous investment into our economy.”
The following seven projects were approved under the new Research and Development initiative.
1. PhycoBiologics Canada Inc. / Phycobiologics Atlantic Consortium. Gerri Greenham - The Establishment of a Pilot Growth Facility for Chlamydomonas to Develop Four Aquaculture Vaccines.
2. National Research Council Institute for Nutrisciences and Health. Dr. Jim Johnston - Bioassays to Evaluate the Macrophage Regulatory Activity of Natural Compounds.
3. Vexcel Canada Inc. Kevin Jones - Earth Observation Technology for Land Cover and Land Use in PEI.
4. University of Prince Edward Island. Dr. Andrew Tasker - Commercialization of a Development Rat Model of Epilepsy.
5. Centre for Aquatic Health Services. Dr. Larry Hammell - Finfish Aquaculture Epidemiology and Disease Intervention Research Program.
6. University of Prince Edward Island. Dr. Russell Kerr - Marine Natural Products.
7. Progressive Bioactives Inc. Shane Patelakis -Development of a Value-Added and Novel Piglet Oral Administered Immune/Health Product.
“These seven projects combined with a previously approved 10 from round one funding, brings the total Provincial Government investment to $1.3 million through the R&D initiative,” said Minister Currie. “With this investment, the funded projects will complement approximately $31 million in new research and development in PEI.”
The Research and Development Initiative is renewed for a third round of funding, and is set to be posted beginning Saturday, November 11, 2006. This suite of programs is designed to build capacity in research and development by supporting the innovative transformation of ideas and products. For more information, please contact Gailene Tobin at (902) 569-7742 or visit our website at www.peibusinessdevelopment.com.
PEI Business Development Inc. and Technology PEI work with businesses in Prince Edward Island to strengthen and expand the provincial economy through business development. Adding value and generating wealth, PEI Business Development and Technology PEI offer a diverse range of programs and services to Island-based businesses.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
Premier Pat Binns and Development and Technology Minister Mike Currie, officially announced seven successful applicants under Round II of the Provincial Government’s Research & Development today in Charlottetown. These seven projects, combined with a previously approved 10 from the first round of funding announced earlier this year, brings the total Provincial Government investment to $1.3 million. These projects will complement approximately $31 million dollars in new research and development in PEI. The third round of funding will be posted this Saturday.
BACKGROUNDER
1. PhycoBiologics Canada Inc. / Phycobiologics Atlantic Consortium - The Establishment of a Pilot Growth Facility for Chlamydomonas to Develop Four Aquaculture Vaccines - Mr. Gerri Greenham
• This project utilizes a platform technology that can be implemented across many applications for commercial use.
• It involves the use of genetically modified algae as a delivery system. The focus of this research is on the development of fish vaccines.
• These vaccines will have immediate applications and will meet an unfulfilled need in commercial aquaculture.
2. National Research Council Institute for Nutrisciences and Health - Bioassays to Evaluate the Macrophage Regulatory Activity of Natural Compounds - Dr. Jim Johnston
• Excessive expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a hallmark of virtually every disease state with an inflammatory component.
• The development of bioassays to assess the capacity of natural compounds to regulate proinflammatory signals is an emerging field that includes access to national and international markets.
• These assays have the potential to generate revenues and jobs, and will introduce novel and emerging technologies to the region that will benefit local companies through rapid access to cutting edge products.
3. Vexcel Canada Inc. - Earth Observation Technology for Land Cover and Land Use in PEI - Mr. Kevin Jones
• This company, a subsidiary of Microsoft proposes a significant spatial, spectral and temporal improvement to satellite imagery. They have developed satellite imagery which allows them to revisit ground images every two to four days. This increases their ability to obtain completely cloud-free imagery, select the most suitable imagery from a large number of scenes, and thus detect and monitor subtle land cover changes.
• This project will provide PEI with the opportunity to test new, innovative technologies and earth observation analytical approaches to help meet sustainable agriculture, environment and forestry goals.
• The company has partnered with a local company, Phoenix Ag. Services.
4. Atlantic Centre for Comparative Biomedical Research - Commercialization of a Developmental Rat Model of Epilepsy - Dr. Andrew Tasker
• Epilepsy is one of society’s most debilitating neurological disorders affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide. While a number of models exist, none adequately mimic many of the clinic features of epilepsy.
• This on-going research program, with its resulting research grants, publications and national/international presentations, adds significantly to PEI’s reputation for world-class research, particularly in the area of bioscience.
5. Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences - Finfish Aquaculture Epidemiology and Disease Intervention Research Program - Dr. Larry Hammell
• The establishment of the Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences (CAHS) is a five-year initiative located at the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC).
• It represents a partnership between the AVC, primary and secondary aquaculture industries, related research institutions and the federal and provincial governments. The project carries out applied research to address industry needs in the area of aquatic food animal health management.
• The goal of this project is to increase and expand the economic value created by Atlantic Canada’s aquatic food animal industries through fish health research based in PEI.
6. University of Prince Edward Island Dept. of Chemistry - Marine Natural Products - Dr. Russell Kerr
• Natural products derived from marine organisms represent an important source of new therapeutic agents with great potential in areas such as cancer, inflammation and cardiovascular disease. The pseudopterosins family exhibits potent anti-inflammatory activity, however development is limiting due to lack of an available supply.
• This research group is confident they are in a position to develop a microbial fermentation process to efficiently produce the pseudopterosins that will be directly applicable to industrial scale up.
• It will help ensure a safe, profitable and growing industry in marine natural products, reinforcing Canada’s international leadership in this field.
• Being located at UPEI provides an opportunity to initiate a marine natural products drug discovery/development program.
7. Progressive Bioactives Inc. - Development of a Value-added and Novel Piglet Oral Administered Immune/Health Product - Mr. Shane Patelakis
• This locally developed company seeks to expand their market opportunities by introducing value-added products based on their yeast beta glucan (YGB) technology with targeted immunomodulator products for swine, poultry, aquaculture and companion animals.
• Successful development of this “Fresh Start” product will substantially improve the revenue opportunities for PEI, as well as open the door to development of similar products for other species.